Spinal rods typically used in fusion surgery are generally contoured, placed into bone anchors, e.g., bone screws, hooks, etc., anchored to the vertebra of the spine, and secured to the bone anchors with one or more fasteners. Once implanted, the length of the spinal rod is fixed and is not adjustable during or after the initial surgery to gain additional correction or, in the case of pediatric patients, to allow for growth of the patient.
To alleviate this problem, a single spinal rod in a unilateral and/or a bi-lateral construct may be replaced with two or more spinal rods connected by a rod-to-rod connector that allows the rods to be adjusted relative to the connector and each other. The rods may be compressed or distracted relative to one another to achieve the desired correction and length. Such a rod-to-rod connector is available in DePuy Spine's Pediatriac Isola Spinal System.
There is a need for improved rod-to-rod connectors that facilitate connection of two spinal rods and the subsequent adjustment of the rods relative to one another.